Free to contribute

#FreeDenis

An initiative to limit the use of restrictive covenants, NDAs, and broad confidentiality clauses to unreasonably restrict and or prohibit development on open-source software. We believe anti-competitive, unfair and monopolistic practices harm development in decentralized ecosystems; resulting in restraint of developers' trade and violation of free speech rights. Right to fork is a rite of innovation.

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FreeDenis

Free Who?

Denis Fadeev is a long-time Cosmos contributor. He joined Tendermint Inc. in 2019 as a frontend developer, built tendermint.com, maintained cosmos.network, built the documentation system used by most Cosmos projects for years, created the first real-time IBC visualizer for the Game of Zones. In 2020 he started the Starport/Ignite project, built and released the first version of the CLI. For more than two years he has led a team of developers with the mission to improve the developer experience of Cosmos by building tools, writing tutorials and providing support. Denis personally has helped thousands of developers to get started building in Cosmos and the Starport/Ignite tooling has empowered dozens of projects to go from an idea to a mainnet network, expanding the Cosmos.

FreeDenis

Free What?

Denis Fadeev requires a written waiver/release from All in Bits, Inc., to fork Ignite CLI. He will rename, rebrand, and abide by attribution requirements as per the licensing agreement. Ignite/cli was released via Apache 2 in 2020, and is widely used utility software in the Cosmos. It has helped launch half the sovereign chains in Cosmos. While the whole de/centralized world is “free to fork” the codebase, Denis is not. Due to the tumultuous restructuring of All in Bits, Denis decided to leave All in Bits in July 2022, and signed a prohibitive agreement without a full understanding of the restrictive covenants, therein. While IP experts and employment law specialists believe the language used in Denis’ termination agreement contains imperfect contract language, who among us can productively work on code under the unrelenting threat of a lawsuit? Therefore, for the avoidance of doubt and a lawsuit, Denis is seeking explicit permission to fork the codebase he architected as VP of Product at All in Bits., doing business as Tendermint/Ignite Global (2019 - 2023).

"it would be good to see your take on a fork, so the ecosystem has more choices" — Jae Kwon

Jae Kwon said, “…it would be good to see your take on a fork, so the ecosystem has more choices” . It seems we’re all in agreement that diversity and permissionless innovation are essential to decentralized development landscapes — If AIB agrees, they should #FreeDenis.


Beyond securing a permission pass for Denis, we believe AIB’s use of non-competes and expansive confidentiality clauses for the censorship of OSS development is both a dangerous precedent and practice. We're also aware there are elements of duress, undue influence, and unconscionability that play into developers signing unreasonably restrictive agreements. The sum of these harmful business practices are antithetical to open source principles and the ethos of the Cosmos. These practices -- should not pass.It's against our code.


The Cosmos is what it is today because the contribution layer has remained sufficiently decoupled from powerful partisan interests. If you agree, please lend your voice and sign the linked petition below.

Why #FreeDenis?

"Right to fork is a rite of innovation"

@YuTangClan_

"...the values of open source must be upheld."

@lite_trix

"...that someone else might be more successful with your code than you is a feature not a bug."

@zmanian

The use of restrictive covenants, NDAs, and broad confidentiality clauses to limit and prohibit the ongoing development on open-source software is anti-competitive and harmful to the decentralized development ecosystems. Using non-competes to prohibit open source development either directly/indirectly is a restraint of trade and a violation of free speech rights. The invocation of, and threats to enforce overly expansive NDAs and confidentiality agreements are unreasonable, non-specific, and oppressive.

How you can help?

I am an avid user of @ignite_dev CLI, and have huge respect for @fadeev's work, and while the general voices feel that there's no need to ask for permission to fork ignite because it goes against the cosmos ethos why not just sign it? @jaekwon @Allinbits_inc #FreeDenis

Vali Malinoiu ⚛️

@0x4139

Mr. Denis Fadeev and Mr. Peng Zhong designed utility software that has now been used to make the majority of today's cosmos chains. @Allinbits_inc you should please #FreeDenis So the Cosmos can continue to grow

Jacob Gadikian

@gadikian

Keep #opensource and innovation open at Cosmos. #FreeDenis

icantcashout

@ushouldcashout

Let #Cosmos grow ⚛️ #FreeDenis

Oleg 🇺🇦

@OlegEnthusiast

There is this software project I care deeply about. It has received 0 (zero) code commits in almost a month. That's what you get when you disband the team, disrupt the project, and suppress competition. This is embarrassing 😔

Denis Fadeev

@fadeev

Wtf is FreeDenis? A @cosmos movement to keep #OSS development collaborative, competitive, innovative, censor/ship resistant, permissionless, and decentralized. Enforcing non-competes in #opensource is dumb and dangerous.

g.

@YuTangClan_

Non-competes in #OpenSource aren't cool. Hope this is resolved shortly, and just a big misunderstanding. #FreeDenis

DAO Maximalist ⚵🧪✨☯🔴🏴

@JakeHartnell

Why make Ignite CLI Apache if you don't want it open source @Allinbits_inc? @fadeev should be legally allowed to work on this in his own time #FreeDenis

billy.cosmos 🏝

@billyrennekamp

Non competes are for pussies. #freedenis $atom

Corporate Don

@DonCryptonium

I am an avid user of @ignite_dev CLI, and have huge respect for @fadeev's work, and while the general voices feel that there's no need to ask for permission to fork ignite because it goes against the cosmos ethos why not just sign it? @jaekwon @Allinbits_inc #FreeDenis

Vali Malinoiu ⚛️

@0x4139

Mr. Denis Fadeev and Mr. Peng Zhong designed utility software that has now been used to make the majority of today's cosmos chains. @Allinbits_inc you should please #FreeDenis So the Cosmos can continue to grow

Jacob Gadikian

@gadikian

Right to fork is a rite of innovation

© Copyright 2023 #FreeDenis